by Al Crisafulli (@Sugarblastmusic)
Releasing an album in December is a dicey proposition for an indie band; it’s easy for a new release to get lost in the chaos of year-end recaps and Top 20 lists. This didn’t deter Atlanta’s Thousandaire; the confident post-hardcore trio dropped their latest on December 16. A stellar collection of nine fuzzy, muscular anthems, Ideal Conditions mines similar ground as their self-titled debut – hazy, midtempo slacker rock. Silkworm is an easy reference point; the tracks are driven by a beefy rhythm section with blasts of distorted guitar setting up soaring solos, each song rising to a dramatic crescendo before crashing down in exhaustion, utterly spent.
It's no surprise to learn that Thousandaire are indie rock veterans; guitarist and bandleader Andrew Wiggins mixes live sound around Atlanta, building fuzzboxes and repairing guitars and amps for a living. His songwriting lacks the deliberate indifference of the Gen-X indie rock bands from which Thousandaire draws its influence – he’s scrupulous about sound, and meticulous about gear. His diligence comes through in interviews; the disorder in the band’s music is carefully orchestrated, there’s melody under the noise. Thousandaire build songs that are wrapped in decades of experience, leaving little to chance – Wiggins knows exactly what he wants, and bassist Chad LeBlanc and drummer Tom Bruno are the perfect pair to help deliver it, injecting some chaos into the order.
The beast on the album is its fourth track, “Coward,” a midtempo collection of riffs and bombastic drum fills that thunders out of the gate like a rodeo bull, crashing and bucking until Wiggins tames the energy, harnessing it into a majestic solo that closes the song. It’s not until the album’s seventh track, “Sgt. Billy,” a somber alt-country piece with a Malkmus-esque vocal delivery, that things quiet down, the album closing out with two expressive, dynamic pieces that recall the very best of Karl Hendricks.
The comparative references to Silkworm, Hendricks, Malkmus, are too easy – and unfair – there’s too much else happening amidst the racket. Thousandaire are a capable band with their own style, putting their own carefully-constructed spin on their many experiences and influences. Drenched in feedback and powerful crunch, Ideal Conditions is an outstanding album, a welcome return to the promising early days of indie rock, but with a fresh perspective. Just maybe release it in January next time.